Corona Devotionals

Do you like riddles? Here's one: When is a locust not a locust ? The prophet named Joel, in the Bible, opens the first chapter of his book talking about locusts . And he is speaking of actual locusts .  (Some scholars ascertain that the locusts he mentions represent other nations that have come against Israel.)  But most Biblical scholars agree (and the Bible says!) that Joel is really speaking about actual locusts .  The locusts , they came and attacked the field. Then, the  locusts , they came and cleaned out what was left in the field.  And then the  locusts , they came back and left total decimation in the fields, and then the  locusts , they came once more and stripped it all again.  In all your history,  has anything like this happened before? ( 3)  Tell your children about it in the years to come,  and let your children tell their children.   Pass the story down from generation to generation.  ( 4)...

Have you ever tried to start your car and the battery was dead?  There is a disconnect, and no connection where there used to be one.  But a dead battery can be jumped, charged, or replaced, and the engine will run once again, good as new with all cylinders firing. But I think we all know that (frustrating/helpless) feeling of loss when a vehicle battery is dead. ~~~ Sometimes we sit here with You, Lord...and the Bible is open, and our hearts are also, but the connection isn't there.  I relent in using the word "dead', but there is definitely a disconnect. Be honest.  It happens. We sit here reading Your Word.  Seeking.  Needing.  Possibly hurting.  Desperate.   And yet, like an engine that won't turn over... nothing. The God-inspired words are there on the Biblical page, and we are ingesting them, but... nothing .   What if there is no connection today? I think we all know that (frustrating/helpless) feeling of loss when we ca...

Unless the   Lord   builds   the house,  the builders labor in vain.   Unless the   Lord   watches   over the city,  the guards stand watch in vain. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for god gives rest to his loved ones.    Psalm 127:1-2  2  ~~~ Did anyone else need to hear this from the Lord today? We work so hard.  Toil.  Torque.   Making schedules.  Keeping schedules.   Meetings, appointments, events.   Building a reputation.  Building an income.  Building a nest egg.  Building an image.  Building a marriage.  Building a family. But what is the base of our house ?  From where comes our foundation?  Unless the   Lord   builds   the house,  the builders labor in vain.  ~Psalm 127:1 God is not calling us out today, rather, he is cla...

I found out that one of my friends is having a hard time.  She didn't say how, or why, or about what, but she was vulnerable-enough with me to share that she was "not in the best place for a while".  For a simple phrase ( "not in the best place for a while") , I have a feeling (and my own experiences) that the shadows and struggles attached to that phrase (and situation-in-life) can run deep and for too long.    "But", she added, "through the grace of God" she is "out of the valley". Our conversation ended, but the heaviness in my heart for her lingered.  It's still there, actually.   Dark times in our lives (and hearts and minds) are hard to climb out of.  When we are stuck in the bindings of it...relief and hope can seem impossible.   My friend got it right, though:  through the grace of God , we can get out of the valley. Are we there today?  Buried?  Frozen.  Detached.  Desperate?  Questioning?  Hop...